Mumbai, March 27 India's top players, Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh, put in memorable performances in the semifinals of the Indian Open squash tournament and booked their berths in the finals at the Bombay Gymkhana here on Thursday.
In what is India's first-ever PSA Squash Copper tournament, the duo played their semifinals in an outdoor glass court on the lawns of Bombay Gymkhana, giving the fans a unique viewing experience.
India’s newest squash sensation, Anahat Singh, was up against the veteran Joshna Chinappa in the first semifinal of the day, and along expected lines, it was a tightly contested game.
While Anahat started brightly, winning the first set at a canter, the experienced Chinappa then took control after that. The 38-year-old used all her experience to bring things to level pegging at 1-1, but after that, Anahat, who is supported by JSW, went through the gears. She used the angles on the court to her advantage and rattled off the next two sets to win the game in 32 minutes. Anahat won with a scoreline of 3-1 (11-7, 5-11, 11-6, 11-6) and sealed her spot in the final.
In the second semifinal of the day, the first in the men’s draw, India’s Abhay Singh had to dig deep against his Egyptian opponent Karim El Hammamy.
Abhay started with a flurry of quick points and the momentum on his side, as he went on to win the first two sets with relative ease. However, Karim took the next set in what was turning out to be a fiery contest. After that, though, Abhay stormed through the fourth set and registered a comfortable win in 55 minutes. Abhay won the contest 3-1 (11-4, 11-6, 6-11, 11-6).
On Wednesday, Anahat Singh, Joshna Chinappa and Abhay Singh lit up the evening sky at the Bombay Gymkhana on their way to securing their spots in the semifinals.
Anahat Singh defeated Egyptian Nadien Elhammamy, winning 3-2, while Joshna Chinappa got the better of the top seed Akanksha Salunkhe, winning 3-2 (12-10, 13-11, 9-11, 9-11, 11-5). In the men’s draw, Abhay Singh overcame Malaysian Ameeshenraj Chandaran in the quarterfinals, romping over the line and into the semifinals with a 3-0 (11-5, 11-8, 11-7) win in 34 minutes.
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